EU, NATO condemn attacks by Serb militants

The European Union and NATO on Thursday condemned attacks by Serb militants in Kosovo that have injured 50 NATO peacekeepers and jeopardized Serbia's application to become a candidate for EU membership.

The latest violence involved militants among the Serbian minority in northern Kosovo.

Kosovo broke away from Serb rule in 2008, but Serbia has never accepted its independence. For months, Kosovo Serbs have blocked roads in the tense northern region to reject the Pristina government's authority.

Some 25 NATO soldiers and several dozen Serb protesters were wounded in clashes Monday as soldiers attempted to remove the barriers, and 21 peacekeepers were wounded last week.

"The use of violence against (NATO troops) is unacceptable and we deplore it," the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body said in a statement Thursday. "We urge all parties to exercise restraint and ... ensure freedom of movement without delay."

NATO wants the barriers removed because they cut off supply to a military base in the north. The alliance has ultimate authority over security in Kosovo.

On Tuesday, Serbian President Boris Tadic urged ethnic Serbs to lift the road blocks, saying the barricades "endanger the lives of people and do not defend a single national interest."

The statements came as Serbia and Kosovo took part Thursday in the latest round of EU-sponsored talks in Brussels on normalizing border procedures and other practical matters. The talks are seen as a key condition for Serbia to be granted candidate status in the EU next week.

EU officials say it is not necessary for Serbia to recognize Kosovo, but there must be technical talks aimed at easing tensions with the Kosovo government before Belgrade can be given EU status.

The EU is divided on whether to formally make Serbia a candidate, a key step on the road to eventual membership.

Germany has said it would block the move because of the deteriorating situation in the tense north. But others insist Serbia should be rewarded for its arrest of indicted war criminals, including fugitive Gen. Ratko Mladic, and their extradition to the war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia.

"Serbia should be given a positive signal and France is in favor of candidate status," French Foreign minister Alain Juppe has said.